Splash Biography



OLIVER ORR, Yale Senior studying English




Major: Undeclared (English)

College/Employer: Yale

Year of Graduation: 2019

Picture of Oliver Orr

Brief Biographical Sketch:

Oliver Orr grew up on the scenic North Fork of Long Island, New York. In middle school and high school, his favorite subjects were English, History, and Film. At Yale, he's studying English, Literature, Anthropology, History, Spanish, and Archaeology. He works in the Peabody Museum of Natural History and he plays in the Yale Precision Marching Band. Oliver's always been a bit of a geek, and he loves superheroes, action movies, fantasy novels, comic books, and everything nerdy and wonderful. Oliver still doesn't know what he wants to be when he grows up, and he likely never will.



Past Classes

  (Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

E3563: Superheroes 101! in Sprout Spring 19 (Feb. 16 - Mar. 02, 2019)
Black Panther! Spider Man! Captain Marvel! Wonder Woman! Sherlock Holmes? Odysseus? Come and learn about your favorite Superheroes! We'll talk about the Hero's Journey, the history of epic, heroic literature, what makes a hero, and how comic books got started! You'll leave with a whole new appreciation of all your favorite Marvel and DC characters!


H2771: Superhero Literature! 101 in Splash Spring 17 (Apr. 08, 2017)
Superheroes! They're everywhere: Movies, comic books, TV shows, tee shirts, lunch boxes, and even pop songs. But where do superheroes come from, and why do we love them so much? In Superhero Literature! 101, we'll look at the historical and literary traditions that lead to the creation of Superhero comics! We'll talk about ancient mythology, Gothic novels, the origin of the comic books, and the Cold War!


E2452: Superheroes! 101 in Sprout Spring 17 (Feb. 11 - 25, 2017)
Superheroes! We see them everywhere: Movies, comic books, TV shows, video games. But where did our favorite Superheroes, like Captain America, Batman, and Wonder woman even come from? Learn about the history of Superhero comic books and the epic stories of old! How did poems from 3000 years ago and books from Abraham Lincoln's time lead to the invention of Superheroes? Come find out! We'll learn about topics like The Heroes Journey and The Gothic Novel in... Superheroes! 101


H2040: The Literary History of the Superhero in Splash Spring 16 (Apr. 02, 2016)
An exciting look into the literary, historical, and philosophical movements that lead to the creation of the "Superhero," starting with the very dawn of literature and moving through to the 21st century. We'll briefly cover authors, artists, and thinkers from Homer, Freud, Mary Shelley, and Emma Orczy to Bob Kane, Alan Moore, and Stan Lee. We'll discuss topics like the Hero's Journey, the metanarrative, the id, ego, and superego, and objective morality. Ultimately, we'll learn about what it means to stand for Truth, Justice, and the American Way.